Stethoscope head cover



Oct. 26, 1965 a. WAGNER 3,213,960

STETHOS COPE HEAD COVER Filed Aug. 17, 1964 INVENTOR.

GLEN WAGNER BY nu, in )nfi/galu A TTOR NE YS 3,213,960 STETHOSCOPE HEAD COVER Glen Wagner, 115 5th Ave., Indialantic, Fla. Filed Aug. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 390,052 3 Claims. (Cl. 181-24) This invention relates to a stethoscope head cover, and moreparticularly to a stethoscope head cover which will insulate a stethoscope head from changes in temperature and protect the head from scratches and the like.

In the practice of medicine it is necessary to frequently place a stethoscope head on the skin of a patient. If the stethoscope head is cold, the sensation can be very uncomfortable for the patient. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the doctor must frequently carry the stethoscope in his bag as he is making trips to homes b1 hospitals, and during these trips the stethoscope becomes coldand does not have a chance to warmup prior touse. Further, it is the common practice of the profession to carry the stethoscope in the doctors bag where the stethoscope head may become scored and scratched from contact with other instruments in the bag. These scratches or scores may also be caused bydropping the instrument or by accidental contact with coarse surfaces, such scratches or scores may cause irritation to the skin of the patient when the instrument is applied thereto.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a stethoscope head cover which will act as an insulator to keep the stethoscope head from becoming too cold.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a stethoscope head cover which will prevent the stethoscope head from becoming scored, scratched, or otherwise injured.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a stethoscope head cover which may be quickly and easily removed from and placed on a stethoscope head.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a stethoscope head cover which may be placed on or removed from a stethoscope head with one hand.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings.

The invention which accomplishes the above objects and purposes may be described as a stethoscope headcover comprising, a pair of opposed covering members movable between an open position in which a stethoscope head may be inserted between said members and a closed position in which the cover substantially surrounds the stethoscope head while leaving an opening for the stethoscope tube to extend out of the cover, each of said members including a main body portion of insulating material for surrounding the stethoscope head and at least one of said members having an indentation at one end of said main body portion for allowing the stethoscope tube to pass out between said members when they are in the closed position and spring means connected to each'of said members for biasing said pair of opposed covering members to the closed position. Preferably handle means are connected to the main body portion of each covering member for moving the members to the open position. The covering members may be comprised of a frame and insulating means covering the main body portion. If desired, the insulating means may also cover the handle means.

The invention having been generally described, the preferred specific embodiments will be discussed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stethoscope head cover constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention showing a stethoscope head positioned therein.

United States Patent FIGURE'Z is a perspective view, partly in section, of the stethoscope head cover of FIGURE 1 in the open position and showing the stethoscope head being removed. 7

The stethoscope head cover is, comprised of a pair of opposed covering members generally 10 .and 12. The covering members are comprised ofmain body portions 14 and 16 having semi-circular indentations 18 and 20 at their upper endsto provide an opening through which a stethoscope tube 40 may extend; If desired, only one of the main body portions need have the indentations, as long as the indentation is large enough to allow a stethoscope tube to extend therethrough. The two covering members 10 and 12 are pivotally connected together as by pin 24. A coil spring 22 which may also be mounted on pin 24, is connected to each of said covering members 10 and 12 to bias said covering members to the closed posi tion. Handles 26 and 28 are connected to said covering members 10 and 12 respectively at the end opposite the end having the indentations.

The main body portions 14 and 16'may be constructed entirely of insulating material or maybe constructed with a frame covered with insulating material. As shown in FIGURE 2, the covering members may be constructed to a wire frame 34 with the indentations 18 and 20 being formed by a bend inthe wire frame which is transverse to the plane of the main body portion of the frame. F URE. 2 als i lu tra es at ha e 26 and y 'be made from, the same wire frame as the covering member by looping the wire frame 34 over pin 24 and then forming handles 26' and 28 extending outwardly on the same side of the frame as the indentations 18 and 20 respectively. Thehandles which are in planes transverse to the planes ofthe main body portions 14 and 16 are inclined from pin 24 in a direction away from the main body portions forming a V-shaped handle means which may be grasped between two fingers as shown in FIGURE 2.

When the covering members are constructed of a covered frame, the insulating material 30 and 32 which covers the frame is preferably a flexible material such as a fabric of flannel or the like. The fabric is sewed, glued or otherwise adhered to the frame and may extend over the handle as well as the covering member. The portion of the fabric covering over the main body portion should be relatively loose so that stethoscope heads of various sizes and shapes may be accommodated.

When the covering members do not include a frame member, the insulating material should be sufficiently rigid to allow it to hold its own shape and to allow the covering members to be secured in a conventional manner to brackets or the like which are pivotally connected to pin 24. Preferably the shape of the covering members will be such that they may accommodate stethoscope heads .of various sizes and shapes. Handles 26 and 28 may be constructed of the same insulating material or may be constructed of any desirable material which is sufiiciently rigid to prevent the handles from yielding when pressure is applied to overcome the bias of coil spring 22.

The insulating material serves a twofold purpose of maintaining the temperature of the stethoscope head relatively constant and prevents the stethoscope head from being scratched or scored from contact with other instruments in the doctors bag or from being dropped.

If desired, the indentations 18 and 20 may be covered with a resilient material so that stethoscope tubes of various diameters may be held tightly therebetween.

In use the doctor squeezes handles 26 and 28 together opening covering member 10 and 12, as is shown in FIGURE 2. The handles make this a simple and easy operation which may be accomplished by the use of the fingers of one hand. With the stethoscope cover in the open position, the doctor may then place the head 38 of a stethoscope, generally 36, between the open covering member and 12 with the stethoscope tube extending between indentations 18 and 20. As the user releases the pressure applied to handles 26 and 28, spring 22 biases covering members 10 and 12 to the normally closed position as is shown in FIGURE 1. As the covering members 10 and12 with the stethoscope tube extendin opening 44 formed by semi-circular indentations 18 and 20. To remove the stethoscope head from the cover, the user merely squeezes handles 26 and 28 together once again opening covering members 10 and 12 and lifts the stethoscope 36 out.

There has been illustrated and described what are considered to be preferred specific embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, that various modifications and variations of this invention willtbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appending claims. 1

I claim:

1. A cover for protecting a stethoscope head and for insulating the stethoscope head from temperature change comprising: a pair of opposed wire frames movable between an open position wherein a stethoscope head may be inserted between the wire frames and a closed position in which the cover may substantially surround the stethoscope head, each of said frames including a main body portion, a substantially semi-circular bend at one end of said main body portion for allowing the tube of the stethoscope to pass out between said frames when in the closed position, the plane of said semi-circular bend be ing transverse to the plane of said main body portion,

and a handle for moving said frames to the open position, said handle being formed by a bend in the wire frame at the end of said main body portion opposite said one end with the plane of said handle extending transverse to the plane of said main body portion on thevsame side of said main body portion as said semi-circular bend; a spring located between said pair of wire frames and connected to each of said frames at a position intermediate said semi-circular bend and said handle for biasing said frames to the closed position; and flexible temperature insulating means covering said main body portion and said semi-circular bend of each of said frames.

2. The cover of claim -1 wherein said insulating means is a flexible fabric.

3. A cover for protecting a stethoscope head and for insulating the stethoscope head from temperature change comprising: a pair of opposed frames movable between an open position in which a stethoscope head may be inserted between the frames and a closed position in which the cover may substantially surround the stethoscope head, each of said frames including a main body portion, and at least one of said frames having an indentation at one end of said main body portion for allowing the tube of the stethoscope to pass out between said frames when in the closed position, the plane of said indentation being transverse to the plane of said main body portion; handle means integral with each of said frames for moving said frames to the open position; flexible temperature insulating means covering each of said frames; and spring means connected to each of said frames for biasing said pair of frames to the closed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,754,366 4/30 Lissy 248113 X 2,480,541 8/49 Borelli et a1 2481 13 X 2,508,525 5/50 Le Fevre 52 2,757,787 8/56 Sergent 248l11 X 2,932,334 4/60 Steen 15052 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,213,960 October 26, 1965 Glen Wagner It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below Column 2, line 25, for "to" read of column 3, line 10, for "10 andlZ with the stethoscope tube extend" read come together, stethoscope tube 40 is held snugly Signed and sealed this 21st day of June 1966..

(SEAL) Attest: ERNEST W. SW'IDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

3. A COVER FOR PROTECTING A STETHOSCOPE HEAD AND FOR INSULATING THE STETHOSCOPE HEAD FROM TEMPERATURE CHANGE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF OPPOSED FRAMES MOVABLE BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH A STETHOSCOPE HEAD MAY BE INSERTED BETWEEN THE FRAMES AND A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH THE COVER MAY SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUND THE STETHOSCOPE HEAD, EACH OF SAID FRAMES INCLUDING A MAIN BODY PORTION, AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FRAMES HAVING AN INDENTATION AT ONE END OF SAID MAIN BODY PORTION FOR ALLOWING THE TUBE OF THE STETHOSCOPE TO PASS OUT BETWEEN SAID FRAMES WHEN IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE PLANE OF SAID INDENTATION BEING TRANSVERSE TO THE PLANE OF SAID MAIN BODY PORTION; HANDLE MEANS INTEGRAL WITH EACH OF SAID FRAMES FOR MOVING SAID FRAMES TO THE OPEN POSITION; FLEXIBLE TEMPARATURE INSULATING MEANS COVERING EACH OF SAID FRAMES; AND SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID FRAMES FOR BIASING SAID PAIR OF FRAMES TO THE CLOSED POSITION. 